9 Reasons why App Store Impressions Spike

If you have an app in the App Store, chances are that you've seen the occasional spike in impressions (sometimes without a corresponding spike in downloads). This can cause some vexation on your part, as you wonder why so many more people were checking your app out, only to disappear as quickly as they came (and possibly why all those people didn't choose to download it). While the latter is a question for another day which we're happy to discuss 1:1, here are nine reasons for why your app may have experienced an impression spike, or decline:

1. Apple gives new apps 7 days worth of artificial visibility boost on launch, so be aware of this when launching your app. Conversely, this is also helpful for understanding the decline you will see after the first week.
2. Changes in your app's keyword ranks are common causes of impression swings, as keywords are very prone to huge changes in rank, sometimes for seemingly no reason (but due to changes in competing apps and user trends), but especially after an app’s metadata is changed.
3. If your app is ranked in the category or country top charts, changes in rank can cause big swings in impressions for your app.
4. App store features can cause your impressions to skyrocket (and cause the opposite effect on conversion rate).
5. Changes in competition can affect your impression volume via more apps earning rank above or below you on a particular keyword or in the top charts.
6. Any kind of marketing can cause your impressions to rise, by virtue of:
   1. More people tapping to your product page (keep in mind that product page views count as impressions), as well as the increased awareness
   2. Improved category and keyword ranks. App marketing and ASO tool Tune estimates a multiplier of 1.5 new downloads from every download.
7. Trends/seasonality can cause spikes in impressions (e.g. holidays, spontaneity, shifts in pop culture, etc.).
8. Changes in your app’s page and/or metadata can affect your impressions, both directly via keyword ranks, as well as indirectly by affecting downloads (a ranking signal for both keyword and category ranks) via your installation conversion rate.
9. Entry of new apps, whose name your app may start ranking for can also cause your impressions to rise.

That's all for now, folks! Be sure to bookmark our blog, sign up to our email newsletter for new post updates and reach out if you're interested in working with us.

Incipia is a mobile app development and marketing agency that builds and markets apps for companies, with a specialty in high-quality, stable app development and keyword-based marketing strategy, such as App Store Optimization and Apple Search Ads. For blog/video or speaking requests, business or press inquiries please contact us or send an inquiry to hello@incipia.co.